NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Pleasant Lake, MI
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Pleasant Lake, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 78 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 78
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for Pleasant Lake
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Pleasant Lake; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 62 mph winds when its centre passed 65 miles away. The record near Pleasant Lake begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 34 miles away. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Pleasant Lake has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 76% of the 546 Michigan cities on this site. The strongest of the 78 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 2, 1977; its path came within 21 miles, and it killed 1 person. The deadliest, an EF2 on August 24, 2023, killed 2 people. Of the 78, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 18 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on May 15, 2025. Pleasant Lake has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 68% of the 546 Michigan cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 16 times since 1985, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 90% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Pleasant Lake.
Compare Pleasant Lake's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Pleasant Lake
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 4 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 14 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Pleasant Lake: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Pleasant Lake
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s4(1 EF3+)
- 2000s8
- 1990s12
- 1980s19(1 EF3+)
- 1970s18(2 EF3+)
- 1960s7
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2, 1977 | F4 | 21 mi | 16.6 mi | 1 / 44 |
| Jun 15, 1982 | F3 | 3 mi | 13 mi | 1 / 1 |
| May 11, 1974 | F3 | 18 mi | 0.9 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 1953 | F3 | 22 mi | 11.3 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Mar 15, 2012 | EF3 | 20 mi | 7.57 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 24, 2023 | EF2 | 18 mi | 12.02 mi | 2 / 4 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF2 | 15 mi | 19 mi | 2 / 1 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 19 mi | 19.3 mi | 2 / 31 |
| Aug 14, 1988 | F2 | 12 mi | 26.6 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Aug 21, 2003 | F2 | 20 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 13, 1994 | F2 | 1 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F2 | 6 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 78, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Pleasant Lake
The Storm Prediction Center has 16 hail reports within 10 miles of Pleasant Lake since 1985. Of these, 8 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on June 9, 2004. The most recent report is from March 30, 2025. June has the most reports, 4.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Pleasant Lake
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Jackson Reynolds Field, MI, 11 miles southwest of Pleasant Lake at 998 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 18°F. August is the wettest at 3.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.5 inches; the year adds up to 32.2 inches over 70 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 137 nights a year. That 32.2 inches is more than at 32 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (24%). Stockbridge, 9 miles northeast, has its own station (Chelsea, MI): 34.6 inches a year, 2.4 more than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 18 | 1.7 | 4 |
| Feb | 35 | 19 | 1.5 | 4 |
| Mar | 45 | 27 | 1.9 | 5 |
| Apr | 59 | 37 | 2.9 | 7 |
| May | 70 | 48 | 3.4 | 8 |
| Jun | 79 | 57 | 3.6 | 7 |
| Jul | 83 | 61 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Aug | 80 | 59 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Sep | 74 | 52 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Oct | 61 | 41 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Nov | 48 | 32 | 2.3 | 5 |
| Dec | 36 | 24 | 1.8 | 5 |
| Year | 58 | 39 | 32.2 | 70 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Jackson Reynolds Field, MI (998 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Pleasant Lake
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 47 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Pleasant Lake: 46 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $520,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 8, 2008.
May 25, 2011: flood 4 miles from the centre of Pleasant Lake — $100,000 damage.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Jackson County, which includes Pleasant Lake, has been named in 10 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 5 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 1 flood). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 27, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Jackson County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $37.8 million a year, the 16th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $18.2 million (48%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.